NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- Approximately nine million Kenyans are in
need of eye care services, Health Ministry officials said on
Friday.

Michael Gichangi,
head of ophthalmic services unit at the Ministry of Health, told
Xinhua in Nairobi that people seek eye care services due to
short sightedness, difficulty in reading or having an eye
disease.

“Due to
concentration of services in major urban towns, only two million
people can access eye care services,” Gichangi said during the
eye camp for school children with albinism.

Over 100 Albino
children received free eye checkup and free prescription
glasses.

According to the
Ministry of Health, approximately 200,000 people are blind.

Gichangi said that
there is poor uptake of eye care services due to lack of
awareness of the availability of the services.

Gichangi added that
age-related cataract is one of the leading causes of blindness
in Kenya. Other causes include albinism, trachoma and childhood
blindness.

He observed that the
number of blind people in Kenya is likely to increase due to the
rising life expectancy.

“As one grows older,
there is increased cloudiness of the lense of the eye and this
could lead to blindness if not detected early,” he said.

The ministry has
launched a specific strategy to deal with preventable causes of
blindness such as trachoma.

Gichangi said that
visual impairment among the albino community is also very
prevalent.

Prabha Choksey, the
founder of the Dr Choksey Albinism Foundation, said that over 90
percent of children with albinism have some form of visual
impairment due to lack of pigment in their eyes.

“As a result,
majority of albino are enrolled in blind schools because of
sight problems,” Choksey added.

She called for all
relevant stakeholders to collaborate so that albinos can be
provided with prescription glasses at an early age in order to
improve their sight.

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EARLIER
REPORT:

Kenya plans
regulations to promote use of sign language

NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to put in place regulations to
promote the use of local sign language, officials said on
Thursday.

Peter Musakhi,
senior assistant director of the ministry of labor and social
protection, told a forum for in Nairobi that the government has
already formed a multi-agency committee to spearhead the
development of draft regulations to enhance the Kenya Sign
Language.

“Once stakeholders
have agreed to the regulations, it will be presented to
parliament for endorsement so as to promote use of sign
language,” Musakhi said during the Kenyan Sign Language
Interpreter Standards forum.

Musakhi said that
the regulations will enable Kenya to meet both local and
international obligations.

“Once in place, the
laws will enhance access to information by the deaf population
so that those with hearing impairment can enjoy full access to
their rights,” Musakhi said.

The east African
nation ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities in 2008 which requires countries to
eliminate all forms of discrimination against disabled people.

In addition, the
2010 constitution calls for Kenya to promote use of sign
language so that the deaf have access to information.

Musakhi noted that
in order to promote access to information to the deaf, the law
requires television programs to incorporate use of sign language
interpreters.

According to
government data, about 800,000 Kenyan have one form of hearing
impairment or another.

Musakhi said that
the regulations will also promote the employment of sign
language interpreters in government departments.

“The deaf people
cannot access critical public services due to lack of sign
interpreters in judiciary and other government offices,” he
said.

The official said
that the regulations will ensure that disability issues are
mainstreamed so that public resources are allocated towards
people with disability.

He noted that there
is insufficient funds to cater for education of deaf students in
most public schools while private schools are beyond the reach
of most parents with deaf children.

“The government is
ready to partner with donors to ensure that deaf children have
access quality education from an early age,” he added.